Dwarf
DeepGroover-(T)
July 2, 2014
Caves
> DeepGroover's
Entry Hall > previous
> Dwarf > next
Scroll down for more..
July 2, 2014: I got this figure from Scibor Miniatures in Poland (the same folks who
made that awesome bust I painted and named "Gort the Red"), along with
the little gnome I did for my mom.
This piece was not mentioned
because I wanted to keep it a secret. I've been working on it for a few
weeks, and now it's done except for the name plate. The detail in these
pieces is amazing to me....all the more when I consider the price. You
simply cannot buy a figure of this quality anywhere here for close to
this price. What's better, when I purchased it there was a sale going
on, so the figure and base, as you see it, cost under $19. The scenic
base is a work of art in itself. You can see the upright head of a
statue in the foreground, but do you see the larger head sideways under
his feet? Grass (moss?) was growing throughout, and one token leaf
plant. I had a lot of fun just painting the base, and trying to get
realistic rock colors. I used multiple shades of green and even a bit of
yellow for the grass. The stone is a few shades of grey, with a bit of
brown oil wash for effect.
The surface he stands on is meant to be some sort of ancient carved floor, so I gave it a lighter color. Now the figure....
He
came in just 3 pieces....main body, hand holding shield and hand
holding weapon. I chose to pin the hand holding the weapon, but just
glued the shield hand. I wanted him to have a very regal appearance, and
with all the wonderful detail in his armor I chose a blue/red combo. I
blocked in these colors first, then later gently dusted a brush with
gold paint over it to highlight the engraving. I'm very happy with the
result, but it probably looks harder than it was. His main armor is
steel darkened with some black. The lion cloak was a cool touch, and I
hope I did a good job on it since I'm not too familiar with wildlife. I
decided to paint the lion eyes green, as if they were emerald jewels.
[Note: this picture is on the Valar Guild home page index of rotating images.]
This
whole project was a delight to paint, and the surprise isn't just that I
painted him. The real surprise is that I painted him for someone. That
someone is [Varda - real name changed to name used on this site].
[Varda] has been my sister's best friend [Elwing is the sister]
since I can remember, and she and her family have been like our own
extended family. She always makes time to see my latest work when
visiting, and is always one of the first to respond to these updates
with gracious words of praise for my efforts. She also runs a website
for Tolkien (Lord of the Rings) and features some of my work that
relates to the website's subject matter. I am profoundly proud to make
this piece a gift to her, and look forward to the opportunity to present
it in person. I will, of course, sign and date it.
July 6: I cannot praise this company enough. The selection of items they offer
for the cost is unbeatable. Pretty much all the figures in this scale
(54mm) sell for at or under $26. They also make a lot of gaming figures,
but I don't know what game(s) they relate to. At the very least it
might be fun... to look around. The company is
Scibor Miniatures, and they are based in Poland. Shipping to me for
every order so far has been a flat rate of $10, and that ended up being
pretty darned quick and very well packed. Anyway, just thought I'd pass
this along. I'm anxious to see what they come out with in the future.